PMD2: Solar Dawn
by searing light dragon
Summary: When one team thought their adventure was over after defeating Darkrai it turned out that it wasn't. Now joined by a mysterious new Pokemon, one Exploration Team is about to discover a new realm of the very kind that they are. Can they handle it though?
1. New Discovery

**Chapter 1-New Discovery**

A young Pokemon opened his green eyes and took in his surroundings after breathing in a gust of frosty air. Snow blanketed the ground and the very air swirled with wisps of glacier-temperature ice. Staggering, weakly, to his feet, the black wolf stumbled forward, only to steady himself. Soon he had a pattern down, he would stagger through the snow, his blade-like white tail carving a path through the frozen, powdery liquid which rested at his chest height.

Trudging through the dense snow-covered ground of the dungeon known by many as Tiny Meadow, he had no idea of who he was nor where he was at, only the thought that he should continue to move. He staggered forward continuously, his furry black coat weighting him down despite keeping him somewhat warm. A large bloody gash stretched across his back, the warm liquid seeping into his fur with every movement he made.

_I have to keep moving_, the Pokemon thought desperately as his green eyes blinked as the bitter-cold wind picked up, the two yellow rings on both sides of his neck glowing to provide him with light to help him see his way through the meadow.

Had he known what the weather was like in this chilled dungeon, he might have been better prepared for the harsh conditions. His coat was getting soaked; he felt exhausted. How much farther could he go before he gave out?

Raising a paw as he halted for a moment, the wolf noticed that his white claws were completely covered in snow now. The arctic storm was getting worse and the bitter cold wind was beginning to pick up, blowing even more snow down and covering the meadow even faster.

A gust of snow-carried wind suddenly blew into him from behind, causing the black wolf to growl as his back wound was irritated by the seeping cold wind and the ever continuing snowfall. The growl he gave in response to the harsh sting of the sharp winter wind against his injured back clearly gave reason for no other Pokemon to go near him, although all the normal inhabitants of the dungeon had hidden away at the first sign of the wintery blast that now blanketed the small location in snow.

Beginning to move again as he lowered his paw back into the snow, his white tail carved out a continuing, zigzagging path through the deepening snow as it now reached up to his shoulders while he trudged once more through the ever worsening conditions. He figured he had no choice to keep focused on the task at hand.

Brushed by the arctic breeze and momentarily lost in thought, the Pokemon reached forward with his left paw, intending to place it down in snow, and struck a loose frozen rock by mistake. He slipped on the icy surface and found himself spinning around to land headfirst into a snow bank. Snow brushed against his wound as he felt as if all the strength he had was now departed from him. The chilled arctic winds and the soft snow spread their fingers of bitter frostiness upon him, making him shutter as he now felt the advancing cold far worse than before.

_Keep warm_, the black Pokemon thought as he curled into a ball to try and wait out the storm.

The two small fang-like near front teeth that jetted out below his top jaw gleaming with icy pleasure as the air gave them a thin layer of condensed ice crystals to surround them and make them a beacon in the never-ending coldness. He lay there for some time, thinking it would be over soon and that he could continue his journey to somewhere.

Meanwhile in a part of Tiny Meadows that hadn't been hit quite as hard as where the black Pokemon was at, two different Pokemon trudged through the faint layer of snow that coated the ground. One of them was a Glaceon, an icy blue fox with dark blue ears, paws, and tail. The other was a Lucario, a fighting and steel Pokemon that resembled a boxer. The Lucario's black and blue fur kept it warm as the two walked seemingly endlessly through the snow covered dungeon.

"Man I hate winter here," the Lucario groaned as he shifted the team's toolbox to his left shoulder, his red eyes narrowing at the little sight the snowstorm offered to the two visiting Pokemon as the ground was just barely coated with the white power of snow but was getting deeper the more they traveled into it. "You never know when it's going to strike here and, when it does, it hits hard and fast."

""It's not that bad Veer," the Glaceon chuckled as she moved through the snow with much more ease than her partner, her type being suited to the cold weather and deepening snow more than Veer's was.

"You're an ice type! You don't get cold, Galia!" Veer snapped back, the chilled atmosphere giving his tone an icy edge to it that amused his partner.

"I don't, you're correct on that," Galia chuckled pleasantly, enjoying seeing Veer irritated again after their last exploration together had nearly been their last as Veer made the comment to their team leaders that he'd like a new partner for dungeon explorations.

Veer grumbled under his breath as the two continued to walk, the snow getting deeper as they traveled further into the tiny dungeon. Galia stopped suddenly, her icicle ears lifting up in surprise at what seemed to be a glistening, icy beacon several miles before them.

"What is it?" Veer asked, annoyed at having to stop because of her as he felt the bitter wind swirl around them.

"There is something a few miles up ahead that I've never seen before," she answered as Veer stared into the hazy distance.

"Well I don't see it," he snapped back.

Instead of a reply, Galia walked on towards the strange beacon and found the black wolf curled into a ball, his back wound visible despite a thin layer of ice over it and the roaring bitter cold winds and snowfall.

"What is it?" Veer questioned as he walked over, grumbling softly to himself even though his attention was perked at the new creature as Galia sniffed it in curiosity.

"Not sure but it is alive," she responded confidently as he picked it up gently and handed the team's supplies to his icy partner.

The two started to walk again, struggling slightly to make it through the waist high snow as Veer he held the wolf with great care. He really wanted to just set their new tag-along down and hurt Galia for having even shown him the wolf in the first place but he decided against it.

"Why did I pick it up?" He moaned to himself as he shifted the limp being in his arms around as slightly as he could without causing it to stir.

"Because I need my mouth for attacks, that's why so walk!" Galia growled as she had heard him over the whistling frosty air, her voice echoing the sound of ice as her blue eyes gleamed like the clearest icicles.

Veer sighed and the two left the Tiny Meadow by the way of a, surprisingly, an uncovered by snow teleport pad. They were both eager to return to the team base and tell their leaders, the true first explorers of Team Haven about their recent exploration and what they found in the dungeon that had been racked by the vicious snowy weather.


	2. Awakening

**Chapter 2-Awakening**

The brown walls of the team's base met Veer and Galia as they descended upon their leaders' home. Vines crept up along the sides of the walls as the dirt floor gave way to a grey stone center. Jagged bits of rock were the only thing keeping both the northern and eastern walls enclosed so that no one would fall out, and probably break their neck on the descent to the large ocean below.

A small fountain bubbled in the far corner of the western wall, smaller vines slowly reaching toward it as they swirled around the grey base of the trough for the water. The rest of the team base was mostly dirt; the brown, soft rock pressed tightly into the shape of a Pokemon known as Sharpedo.

"How did the exploration go?"A giant grass turtle with a living tree on her back, a Torterra, named Tara asked as Veer and Galia finished descending down the dirt steps.

"The winter there is crazy, I'll never get all this snow out of my fur," Veer groaned as he shook for emphasis.

Tara chuckled in amusement, her leafy tree waving as she strolled forward and a slightly taller Pokemon revealed herself from the shadows that had descended upon the base through early afternoon sunlight.

"I probably would have froze there," a Blaziken, known by her team mates as Ruby, commented as Tara glanced back with understanding in her warm brown eyes.

"We survived Blizzard Isle and Crevice Cave, remember?" She reminded her stubborn fire-fighting type partner.

"Don't remind me of that, I still have nightmares about it!"

Even though Ruby's tone was hard, it couldn't prevent a frosty chuckle from Galia. A thin layer of frost descended on the floor of the room and Ruby curled up a fist in response, her other hand closing around it.

"Don't start," Veer warned to Galia in a low whisper as she was about to speak up that she wouldn't have found it too much of a challenge.

"Fine," she whispered back, her blue eyes glittering as Voga kneeled before Tara and presented the wolf that he and Galia had found in the dungeon.

"What is this?" Tara asked as she sniffed it cautiously.

"We found it in the dungeon right as we were about to leave," Galia explained, her voice chiming as it reflected the smoothness of ice.

"I see. That explains the mass of extra black on Veer then," Ruby muttered, mostly to herself, as she advanced and motioned for Veer to let the wolf go.

Tara nodded in acknowledgment and Veer stood back up, stepping back after he had passed their find to Ruby. She laid the wolf down as he waited for his team leaders to decide what to do.

"I've never seen a Pokemon like this before," Ruby commented as she and her partner looked the black wolf over, her blue eyes concentrated sharply on the new arrival.

"Neither have we," Galia responded, her blade-like dark blue tail drawing circles on the stone floor of the team's base as she sat down.

The black wolf stirred quietly, blinking open his green eyes as he raised his head. He was met by smells that were far different from what he had smelled in the meadow. There was no snow here, no ice to stab at his wound. In fact, he smelled flowers and clean water. The air was not frosty as it had been when he had first opened his eyes and taken his first, shaky, steps.

_Where? Where am I?_ He thought silently as he looked around for a moment, taking in everything he saw.

"Hi," Tara said friendly, rustling the tree leaves on her back as she laid down on the floor before him, hoping to learn more of this Pokemon that had suddenly come into the home she shared with Ruby.

"W-who are you?" The wolf yelped, startled by the quick movement of the giant turtle and then pained by his own back wound as he whimpered softly.

"It's okay. Take it easy, you're safe here. I'm Tara and this is Ruby, my partner," Tara hummed, jerking her head back to direct the wolf's attention to Ruby who stood watching with her arms folded, clearly not enjoying the moment.

The wolf blinked as he fought to calm the stabbing pain that drove through him as his eyes went to Ruby for a brief second and then back to Tara.

"You . . . you two saved me," the black wolf muttered as he raised a white claw and pointed it, shakily, at Veer and Galia.

"We did. Wait! How did you know that?" Galia asked, her tail stopping and rising up to show the blade-like qualities of it better.

The wolf blinked once more, quickly trying to come up with something it could tell them. Tara stood up without another word spoken to either their guest or her team mates and spoke up for him.

"He must be tired. Go on to the Assembly and wait for us to pick you up in the morning," she instructed as Veer and Galia nodded in understanding and approval and left the room silently, their footsteps heard for several minutes as they climbed the steps that led to the team base.

The wolf sighed just a little too loudly and Ruby turned her hawk-like eyes to him. Tara tensed as she awaited a harsh remark to come from her hot-headed friend.

"Your name?" Ruby asked gruffly, her wrists blazing up and fire coating them as she uncrossed her arms and started to walk over to the newcomer.

"Name? I think . . . Uh, I think its Voga," the wolf answered as he had to concentrate rather hard to remember his own name as most of his attempts resulted in nothing being gained and coming up against blackness that refused to yield its secrets to him. Once he had remembered it, he forced himself to his feet and started to back up as Ruby neared, her wrists covered in flames.

Ruby smirked at the name before drawing back a hand and curling it into a fist. She lashed out at him, sending it forward to make contact with Voga's black fur.

"Stop!" Tara growled as leaves smashed into Ruby's wrist, causing the bird-like fighter to stop her attack and glare at her partner.

"What was that for!" Ruby squawked as she turned to Tara, anger still present in her voice as she was annoyed at her friend for stopping her attack.

Voga nearly collapsed back to the floor, his body quivering as he shook in terror. Why did Ruby go after him so suddenly? Was it because she did not like him or was there more to it? Either way he was more than scared of the fire-type now after her attack on him.

"You have no right to attack someone we barely know," Tara commented as her tree shook fiercely, Voga turning his attention to her. "Think of Grovyle."

The sadness that lingered in her words long after they had been spoken surprised Voga. This Grovyle . . . had something happened to it that had affected Tara? As if she had heard his unspoken question, Tara cast a glance at him that barely suggested happiness. He must be right about something having happened to the Pokemon that was spoken of.

Ruby sighed, letting her hands fall and rest at her waist. "You're right," she muttered. "I wasn't thinking." Another gaze past between the two. "It's been so long now since he left us."

"Because we changed the future, he was never born," Tara added. "I wish that he had been given the same chance I was to come back." A sigh from her caused leaves to flutter to the ground as her eyes fell to the floor.

"I-I hate to impose this," Voga whispered softly, "but who was this individual you two are speaking of."

Ruby turned her eyes back to Voga, their gaze full of sympathy and pain. "It's a long story," she answered as Tara flicked her tail to keep from thinking about it further.

Realizing such a question should not have been asked, Voga lowered his head. "Sorry."

"Don't be." Voga blinked, not expecting Tara to speak up. "I would have asked the same question had I been you. Grovyle was . . . a friend of mine from a while back. We lost him nearly a year ago."

Tara's eyes turned to the open water outside the base, her brown irises transfixed on the flowing liquid. Voga was at a loss for words. What to say? How could he comfort her knowing so little of anything? The only thing he knew about who he was had been his name, everything else was not there.

"Um, Tara?"

"Yes?" She asked as Voga turned his green eyes to her.

"I'm not sure how to put this. I-I don't remember anything of who I used to be before Veer and Galia found me in that icy place except for my name."

Tara's head jerked to him, her eyes flashing with concern and yet also with comfort. "You as well then." She gave a quick laugh. "Same as myself."

"You mean?" Voga began.

"I mean that when I first woke up here the only thing I knew was my name. I still have basically no memory of my . . . earlier existence but you'll find yourself again given time."

Time. Did he really have any time to learn who he was again? Would Tara and Ruby put him out on a mission like Veer and Galia had been? How would he be received by everyone?

The sky slowly faded to black as Voga talked with Tara and Ruby more. Eventually they lit a fire and sat around it, Voga curled up beside Tara who did not mind him being as close as he was.

"So Voga," Ruby began as she gazed at him from across the fire, "how does a little training tomorrow sound? I know I want to see what you can do firsthand."

Tara nudged Voga with her snout, lightly poking him as he had begun to drift off to sleep. "Huh? Um, I guess that would be alright," he managed to mutter as the fire reflected off his fangs and cast even greater shadows over the room.


	3. Shadows of a Time Forgotten

**Chapter 3-Shadows of a Time Forgotten**

The next morning Tara, Ruby, and Voga decided to go down to the beach for some fun, despite the team's usual training. Although Ruby was part fire, she decided to play around in the sand with Voga as Tara took care of some errands for the team so that the next day's activities would be easier to take care of.

The sandy surface gave little for Voga to hold to for prolonged amounts of time but he watched the ocean's waves with eagerness that he had not held since . . . since before his memory had been lost. _How had that been caused?_ He wondered as Ruby practiced a move that she called Sky Uppercut. She would drag her claws, usually on one hand at a time, along the ground before lifting free and blasting the rocks that littered the outlying areas of the beach into mere pebbles.

"You're missing out on the fun you know!" Ruby shouted as the leafy frame of Tara could barely be made out in the distance, the shadow of trees blending in with the green foliage along the grass-type's back.

Voga growled softly as he rolled his shoulders, sitting down in the sun. His wound burned like living fire, but why would it hurt as much as it did? He understood if there was only slight discomfort but the pain that tore into him now baffled him. He yelped as Ruby slapped sand onto him playfully.

"You gonna play in the sand?" She asked questioningly as his green eyes narrowed in anger while trying to mask the pain from his back. "Or just sit here and get sand thrown on you?"

The faintest growl rippled from his throat as his gaze turned to her. Her hands were reaching down for more sand and her warm eyes observed him for an answer. Before he had the chance to answer Tara called out to them.

"I'm coming!" She shouted, her legs moving her as fast as they could. "I'm not built for speed, you know this, so give me a moment to catch up."

Ruby seemed disappointed by the response of her partner and returned attention to Voga. He stood, crouching as his eyes flickered with rage and pain. There were many things he could do but hurting her would only make things worse, that he knew without having to be told.

"You don't know the amount of pain that flares from my back," he spat, trying his best not to raise his voice beyond its normal tone. "I was doing fine controlling it until you splashed sand on me and doubled the anguish that racks through me."

Voga thought that Ruby was taken aback by his words but he wasn't sure as lightheadedness came over him. This had never happened before so why now? Why would it come when he was having fun with two Pokemon he wanted to become friends with? He squeezed his eyes shut and sat back in the sand.

"What's wrong?" Tara asked as she finally made it onto the sand and noticed Voga.

Ruby said nothing and Tara turned her question to Voga directly. He wanted to answer but he felt almost sick to his stomach. He had only eaten last night and early in the morning so the food probably wouldn't have caused it. Could it be something else? Something before he had come into consciousness in the snow-coated dungeon? Maybe that was it.

"Easy, easy Voga," Tara commanded as he forced himself back onto his feet and practically crawled to the ocean. _Water_, he needed water. Such would help him, or at least he thought that. "Ruby, help me!"

The sand slid much too fast under his feet and Voga realized that he must have fallen to his stomach. Pain seared from his back and he whimpered, trying to get back his footing. The smell of salt struck him as water was brought to his muzzle. Where had he smelt salt before this? It seemed familiar almost . . . .

* * *

"Hurry up Voga!"

He turned his gaze slightly and saw the mangled form of an Umbreon, its right foreleg twisted into nothing more then bone and loose skin. Although it's eyes shone with happiness its body told a much different story. Most of its skin was hanging off its frame in shreds and its neck had deep bite marks, some of which just covered by scabs.

"I'm coming," he cried happily, his frame less developed then it was now. His fur was light grey instead of black and there was no injury on his back. His eyes had never changed from the bright green they were but his muzzle had a faint scar on it that was nearly unseen upon his current-day frame.

"Father won't be happy about this, you know," the Umbreon whispered as he drew to its side and it licked the other side of its muzzle where the scar was not present.

"I know," he replied, "but I wanted to see the outside of our cave."

Indeed he had. The dark landscape was grey and the sun never shone in the sky. Anything that grew was tough and bitter tasting and there was barely any meat available anymore in the wild. Most Pokemon were now living in bands of two or more and it rare to find a lone one now.

Voga turned with the Umbreon and slightly gazed upon the cracked rock formation that served as his home. He lived here for . . . for . . .

* * *

A black wall sprung up, breaking Voga away from the memory. He was sure of one thing though, that Umbreon had been his mother.

"Voga!" It was Tara's voice as his eyes were still closed. "Voga, wake up please! We can't . . . we don't know what to do."

Slowly he brought himself back to his amnesic body once more. Pain and an unnatural warmth met him first when he tried to open his eyes. Those two things forced him to keep his eyes closed and he snarled softly. The sound was feeble and the warmth increased, becoming worse then the pain.

_What is wrong?_ He screamed at himself. _Why am I in as much pain as I am? Why the unnatural warmth that drives from me everything except it?_

The warmth drew from his body, from its very core. Voga knew deeply that something was wrong but he wasn't sure what it was. He had never felt this sensation before, it felt so new to him. Part of him cried out in fear while the other simply wanted to know what was going on. He wanted to know what was happening to him as the warmth attacked his thoughts and made him barely able to even breathe.

Suddenly a realization hit him. The light, the heat. He had been raised in darkness, that was it. But was it too late? Could Tara and Ruby figure it out on their own as he felt himself fading into unconsciousness? Voga certainly hoped for such a realization to hit them as well before he was lost forever to the warmth of a new environment.

* * *

Tara glanced over at Ruby, both drawing a blank on what to do. Voga lay before them, his eyes closed and his breathing irregular. The giant grass turtle was deeply concerned. They had just met him and now . . .

"Should we try getting him into the shade?" Ruby suggested as Tara quickly glanced around the sandy area.

"There is no shade on the beach, but what if we carry him back to the trees that lead the way to the beach?" Tara suggested as Ruby bent down to pick up Voga.

His furry mass held more weight then she expected and Ruby had to quickly reposition her legs so that he would not fall. With careful steps she carried him to Tara and the two began to walk to the lightly forested area that led to the beach.

"He's heavy," Ruby commented as Tara rustled the tree on her back, hoping to provide what little shade she could to their new friend that lay in the arms of her closest companion.

"That's surprising given his size," Tara responded as their feet left the sand and touched down upon grass mixed with dirt. "First tree you see put him down."

It didn't take them long to find a tree. The entire gently sloping downward path was cluttered with trees. Tall ones, short ones, every height imaginable. The tree they selected was about five years old, in full bloom. Pink petals drifted to the earth as Ruby laid Voga under the shadows caused by the leafy branches. Now they only had to wait until he awoke.

Tara twitched her tail as she and Ruby sat down near the tree. Her fire type friend crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes, a clear sign of either anger or worry. Tara hoped it was worry that drove Ruby to stare at Voga. The fiery female had not been in the most pleasant of moods for a while now, since Veer and Galia had begun taking missions full time. Those missions were needed to keep their funds afloat, not that they didn't have money. Being a Platinum ranked team had perks, not all of them enjoyable.

Ruby had seemed to find more time to argue with the right hand Pokemon of the Guild more during the last month. The feuds with Chatot had not been calm, at least not from Ruby. She still wanted to pummel the bird into a rock covered with feathers for continuing to take some of their money gained from rescue jobs as payment towards the Guild. Tara knew that Chatot had explained it countless times to them that they were only allowed to operate as a rescue team because of the Guild. That explained why the money was taken from their profit but still Ruby fought against it with her fierce determination showing up more frequently then ever.

"Think he'll wake soon?" Ruby asked as she leaned back to rest against a tree, startling Tara with the sudden question.

"Maybe. I don't know. We are lucky to have figured out what the problem was though. I would have hated it if . . ." She couldn't bare to finish her sentence. The thought reminded her too much of Grovyle, of her past. Voga would not learn of it until she was certain he was ready, however curious he was about it.

"He isn't like Grovyle, Tara. Grovyle knew he had to sacrifice himself to allow us to reach Dialga. He was more then willing to do what he had to in order to make our future better then his had been," Ruby commented, knowing the sorrow that her partner felt because of Grovyle.

"But the pain still remains," the grass type muttered as Voga twitched faintly. "Day after day."


End file.
